A sugarcane federation is inviting Negros Occidental’s mayors to a meeting on July 10 to discuss the aerial spraying of insecticides to prevent the devastating and rapid spread of Red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) in sugarcane fields.
Manuel Lamata, president of the United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines (UNIFED), said on Wednesday, July 1, that they have invited Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and the mayors to listen to a proposal from a Davao-based group.
The Davao group conducts the aerial spraying of systemic chemicals that are not harmful to humans, Lamata said.
The governor said what makes the situation alarming is that the RSSI has returned just as the planting season has started, which is expected to lower crop production.
“The RSSI problem is definitely serious, our crop production will go down, coupled with low prices. It’s a serious drawback for the sugar industry,” Lacson said.
He added that the provincial government is already prepared to form a task force to address the infestation.
“Many ideas are being brought up on how to address RSSI, and we will continue to study them. What is important is that we continue to monitor how widespread the damage is,” he said.
The governor stated that he cannot say yet how much the provincial government will allocate for the fight against RSSI.
“You must remember we are only in June. Big typhoons have not yet hit us, so we have to be careful with our disaster budget because we have to balance it out,” he said.
BLUE CRABS
Meanwhile, a separate meeting will be held to address how Philippine blue crabs can return to the US market, Lacson said.
He has asked the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to present its solutions to the stakeholders to see if they find the proposals agreeable, Lacson said.
The market closure, enforced by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service under its Marine Mammal Protection Act, took effect on June 11.
The U.S. barred the imports because the Philippines allegedly failed to demonstrate compliance with marine mammal conservation and fisheries monitoring requirements.*
[sibwp_form id=1]